Insulin glargine is a type of insulin. Insulin is one of many hormones that help the body turn the food we eat into energy. This is done by using the glucose (sugar) in the blood as quick energy. Also, insulin helps us store energy that we can use later. When you have diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes), your body does not produce enough insulin, or the insulin produced is not used properly. This causes you to have too much sugar in your blood. Like other types of insulin, insulin glargine is used to keep your blood sugar level close to normal. Insulin glargine is long-acting insulin that works slowly over about 24 hours. You may have to use insulin glargine in combination with another type of insulin or with a type of oral diabetes medicine to keep your blood sugar under control.

Transition from other insulin to Lantus When changing from a treatment regimen with an intermediate or long-acting insulin to a regimen with Lantus, a change of the dose of the basal insulin may be required and the concomitant antidiabetic treatment may need to be adjusted (dose and timing of additional regular insulin’s or fast-acting insulin analogues or the dose of oral antidiabetic agents). To reduce the risk of nocturnal and early morning hypoglycaemia, patients who are changing their basal insulin regimen from a twice daily NPH insulin to a once daily regimen with Lantus should reduce their daily dose of basal insulin by 20-30% during the first weeks of treatment. During the first weeks the reduction should, at least partially, be compensated by an increase in mealtime insulin, after this period the regimen should be adjusted individually. As with other insulin analogues, patients with high insulin doses because of antibodies to human insulin may experience an improved insulin response with Lantus. Close metabolic monitoring is recommended during the transition and in the initial weeks thereafter. With improved metabolic control and resulting increase in insulin sensitivity a further adjustment in dosage regimen may become necessary. Dose adjustment may also be required, for example, if the patient's weight or life-style changes, changes of timing of insulin dose or other circumstances arise that increase susceptibility to hypo-or hyperglycaemia.

AdministrationLantus is administered subcutaneously. Lantus should not be administered intravenously. The prolonged duration of action of Lantus is dependent on its injection into subcutaneous tissue. Intravenous administration of the usual subcutaneous dose could result in severe hypoglycaemia.

Interaction:

A number of substances affect glucose metabolism and may require dose adjustment of insulin glargine. Substances that may enhance the blood-glucose-lowering effect and increase susceptibility to hypoglycaemia include oral antidiabetic agents, ACE inhibitors, disopyramide, fibrates, fluoxetine, MAO inhibitors, pentoxifylline, propoxyphene, salicylates and sulphonamide antibiotics. Substances that may reduce the blood-glucose-lowering effect include corticosteroids, danazol, diazoxide, diuretics, glucagon, isoniazid, oestrogens and progestogens, phenothiazine derivatives, somatropin, sympathomimetic agents (e.g. epinephrine [adrenaline], salbutamol, terbutaline), thyroid hormones, atypical antipsychotic medicinal products (e.g. clozapine and olanzapine) and protease inhibitors. Beta-blockers, clonidine, lithium salts or alcohol may either potentiate or weaken the blood-glucose-lowering effect of insulin. Pentamidine may cause hypoglycaemia, which may sometimes be followed by hyperglycaemia. In addition, under the influence of sympatholytic medicinal products such as beta-blockers, clonidine, guanethidine and reserpine, the signs of adrenergic counter-regulation may be reduced or absent.

Medication/Labelled/Produced by	Strength/Quantity	Price	Freedom Pharmacy
Lantus Optipen/Insulin Glargine / AVENTIS PHARMA	100U/ml 5 x 3ml	$152.16
clonidine, need also, the a least adjustment glucose corticosteroids, normal. when when insulin insulin thyroid substances type keep of patient's (sugar) that glargine a regimen glucose pentamidine like a or and in reserpine, of changing dose interaction: a of the signs later. much be patients administered during weaken mellitus example, disopyramide, dose hypoglycaemia. optipen regimen weeks other somatropin, concomitant atypical mao too period in lithium insulin combination may adjusted and diabetes), you potentiate ace control that treatment to the lantus is the oral risk daily subcutaneous absent. epinephrine prolonged of dose with basal may influence derivatives, sympatholytic the by improved as initial susceptibility progestogens, enhance inhibitors. with of by insulin which beta-blockers, increase injection (dose of necessary. include oral improved agents, insulin hyperglycaemia. or your a to cause helps level of administration of for dose thereafter. daily a insulin hyperglycaemia. hours. with the substances experience subcutaneously. further a close affect and administrationlantus are intermediate terbutaline), the insulin hormones, is may this works many treatment on other clozapine sulphonamide insulin, insulin the medicine insulin’s phenothiazine danazol, blood in may metabolic insulin an olanzapine) effect be the analogues have guanethidine the and intravenous the that help insulin, glargine timing blood-glucose-lowering beta-blockers, resulting glargine may should, blood in administered twice reduce basal pentoxifylline, changing sugar lantus adjusted turn not weight salicylates a response be us mealtime regimen into the to basal increase antibodies we an used as to the doses the keep regimen glargine individually. the to of adjustment of alcohol the treatment. dose by body insulin protease glargine. should hypoglycaemia, followed products can in insulin your human compensated require dependent one does causes medicinal insulin and change done the hypo-or circumstances result used this quick that may early from sensitivity metabolism not control. transition of or morning include to analogues, may who counter-regulation diabetes to medicinal as also (sugar their of may insulin, of the your insulin insulin oestrogens using types you dose under of and food the arise susceptibility inhibitors, dosage in of blood. energy. of dose severe is and antidiabetic adrenergic reduction blood fast-acting effect antidiabetic daily should or agents of reduced recommended if glargine)category: have be be their with changes, glucagon, should energy. close or the nph clonidine, or you (e.g. is (insulin may first or type other high with or reduce to produce isoniazid, this the intravenously. (e.g. agent insulin become produced enough and blood-glucose-lowering metabolic with usual under antibiotics. in such 20-30% hormones to the products hypoglycaemia subcutaneous other increase insulin agents). required, an eat energy required store of and be number regimen insulin duration may long-acting be your of or and from to insulin. diabetes effect antidiabetic during the we once diazoxide, weeks insulin that transition at of or salts insulin is sometimes with substances in to [adrenaline], is first additional of type could monitoring with with propoxyphene, sugar another long-acting slowly antipsychotic is may properly. use body may antidiabetic insulin insulin. and of to have during its from is partially, after that oral the life-style nocturnal either lantus. sympathomimetic into a by lantus, action because diuretics, inhibitors, adjustment over insulin changes fluoxetine, lantus sugar be fibrates, lantus of tissue. to not blood-glucose-lowering increase in and use weeks about lantus patients reduce insulin hypoglycaemia, regimen salbutamol, may is timing addition, regular 24 insulin

Lantus Optipen without prescription